A. Oberai - Biomechanical imaging : Algorithms and Applications

Biomechanical imaging a novel biomedical imaging modality where images of the mechanical properties of tissue are constructed in-vivo. This is done by “watching” the tissue deform using a conventional imaging technique (ultrasound, optical, x-ray, etc.), and using these images to infer tissue deformation. Thereafter, an inverse mechanical problem is solved, where the deformation map is known, a constitutive model is assumed, and the spatial distribution of the mechanical parameters is determined. This leads us to biomechanical images of the tissue.

In this talk I will focus on mechanical inverse problem. I will discuss its well-posedness, and describe novel algorithms to solve it. I will also describe several applications, including cancer diagnosis, biomechanics and mechanobiology at the microstructural and cellular levels, and muscle integrity, where this technique is posed to make a significant impact.